#When i play botw i can appreciate every little detail of the world

[robotapologist]

botw was so medetative for me. My time was spent contemplating my next goal or coming up with a strategy to deal with tough enemies. Idk what it is about totk that keeps me from sinking into it the same way i did with botw but it i had to guess, its the amount of shit i have to collect and inelegant the systems are

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #454

Top Ten Launch Games 

Oooh, it’s finally here!  

By the time you read this, the Xbox Series X/S consoles will be out, and the PlayStation 5 will be imminent if not already with us. At the time of writing I’ve yet to sample either console, although hopefully that will soon change. However, it’s a bit of a weird console launch, especially for Xbox owners, as there’s not much in the way of actual launch titles. PlayStation has the excellent-looking technical showcase (in that it shows off their sexy new controller, if not necessarily the excesses of the console’s visual prowess) Astro’s Playroom. But on the Xbox side, the only genuine first-party exclusive (not including the port of rather smashing PC title Gears Tactics) was to be the troubled Halo Infinite, which has now been pushed to next year to deal with some of its apparent graphical deficiencies. For what it’s worth, as a Halo fan, I thought the actual gameplay presented looked as good as it always has, so I’m still very excited, but it’s a shame not to sample something genuinely new and shiny at launch. For me, then – as someone not getting a PlayStation this year – I’m going to have to contend myself with updated versions of older games, and hopefully something like the really exciting-looking The Falconeer or, eventually, Cyberpunk 2077.  

Of course, it’s not always been like this; in the past, a landmark game has often been the core reason to upgrade to a new console. Certain titles have defined their hardware platforms, offering a taste of the experiences to come, be it through revolutionary control systems, previously-unimaginable graphics, or simply by shattering preconceptions and expectations. As such, this weekend I’m celebrating my favourite launch titles. 

Now, a couple of my usual caveats. I’ve hardly owned any consoles in the grand scheme of things; I was a computer gamer until the launch of the first Xbox, and even then was PC-first until about midway through the 360’s life. As such I came to a lot of these late, or played them on friends’ systems. I’m sure a videogame historian would give you another list, one that was able to put each title into its historical perspective. For my part, I’m mostly basing it on how much I like the game, but I am also trying to weight it in terms of its “importance”. I mean, one of my favourite “launch titles” of all time would be Lego Marvel Super Heroes on the Xbox One/PS4, but that seems a bit of a ridiculous game to call a launch title, especially as it doesn’t really show off the hardware or define the generation in any particular way. I just think it rocks. So I’m trying to judge it also in terms of how effective a given game was at being a launch title, as well as my personal preference; as such, some games, which I think are more emblematic of their time or their hardware, might end up higher in the list than if I was otherwise just ranking my favourites.  

Christ, that was boring. Look, here are ten games that I like that came out when a console came out. Have at it. 

Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001): it’s not just that it made playing an FPS on a console as comfortable and enjoyable as on PC, but it revolutionised what an FPS could do. Expansive open landscapes, dynamic combat with intelligent enemies, an ingenious shield/health combo, two weapons, drivable vehicles, and frankly outstanding graphics. And for Xbox – a curious underdog, a big black sheep devoid of cool or class and feeling like Microsoft was trying to buy its way into the console space with a hefty dose of brute force – here was something unique, something incredible. I don’t think anyone quite expected Halo, and it’s arguable that it single-handedly changed not only Microsoft and Xbox’s fortunes but the entire game industry too.  

Wii Sports (Wii, 2005): the Wii was this strange outlier, a tiny white box that eschewed the grunt and girth of its rivals, and seemingly built around its unique motion controller. Would it work? Wii Sports proved that yes it would, a delightful bundle of games that perfectly showed what the console and controller could do. Immense fun in and of itself, but the Wii’s ability to lower the barrier of entry to non-gamers meant that your dad could thrash your brother at bowling. And that is a thing to cherish forever. 

Tetris (GameBoy, 1989): depending on where you look, Tetris may just be the best-selling game of all time. It’s on everything now, from the Xbox Series X to your watch. But there was a time when “Tetris” meant “GameBoy”; that four-colour greenscreen box of wonder that everybody had but me. It was beyond ubiquitous, and its short-form nature and simplistic styling made it ideal for the portable console, its chirpy and iconic music sounding perfect coming from those tiny speakers. And above all else, of course, Tetris is fantastic, one of the greatest games of all time. It was a perfect marriage of software and hardware. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, 2017): so here’s the thing: I like Zelda, but I’ve never fallen in love with it. I didn’t grow up with it, so coming to Ocarina of Time, there were too many old-fashioned trappings in the way; it just didn’t feel as enthralling or as fun to play as, say, Half-Life or Deus Ex. BOTW changed that; the limitations were gone, the world was blown wide open. It no longer felt like an 80s game in three dimensions, it felt new. Better than new – it felt like tomorrow. Despite the Switch being graphically weaker than its contemporaries, BOTW was and is simply gorgeous to look at, but it’s how it plays, how it feels like a vast but real world, how it has its own rules and they make sense instantly. It’s the greatest open world game of all time, and emergent physics sandbox, and yet it’s still unquestionably Zelda, emphatically Nintendo. Okay, it technically came out on the Wii U at the same time, but who the hell played that? This was the game that made you want a Switch.  

Super Mario 64 (N64, 1997): this is often the game people cite as being one of the great revolutionary launch titles, but I must confess its charms were lost to me at first. Taking what was great about Mario and converting it expertly into 3D was a heck of a feat; graphically for the time it certainly impressed in the scale of its worlds, and whilst back then I felt it lacked the detail and granularity of some PC titles, in retrospect it was a perfectly-suited art style, offering smooth textures even when right up close. But it was its precise controls and the open, hub-based nature of its worlds that was revolutionary; many games aped its style, but it took a long time before anything really matched it.  

Hexic HD (Xbox 360, 2005): not every game here has to be some genre-busting graphical powerhouse; they can be simple but quietly revolutionary. Hexic HD is a terrific puzzle game with a simple hook, brilliantly executed, and enough intrigue and nuance to keep you coming back for one more go, to beat your high score, to get to the next tricksy level. But the time and manner of its release, and what that signified, marked it out as something more important. It was the first Xbox Live Arcade title; Microsoft’s curated gallery of smaller, more indie-flavoured games. More than that, it was free, coming pre-installed on all Xbox 360 Pros (the ones with the removable hard drive). It was a taste of what was to come, introducing audiences not only to the idea of playing these kinds of smaller, less intense games on a console, but also the idea of purchasing and downloading them digitally. It was great and ground-breaking in equal measure.  

WipEout (PlayStation, 1995): I kinda missed the PlayStation generation. I was still, more or less, in my PC-centric “consoles are toys” mindset (which I wouldn’t fully shake off till the release of the N64). But I came to appreciate its qualities as a cool, exciting, super-fast futuristic racer. I’m pretty sure it’s not the first 3D hover-car racing game, but it was presented in such a groovy package that it ticket all the boxes, and helped show off just what the PlayStation was capable of in terms of its 3D graphics and CD sound. And, of course, it helped define the console as being a bit more edgy and grown-up than the previous Nintendo and Sega stalwarts. 

Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1988): what can be said about one of the most iconic games of all time? Mario Bros defined not only a console, not only a generation, but arguably an entire artform. Creating what we now know as a platform game, it expanded and surpassed the basic template of Donkey Kong into a roaming adventure, part twitch-gaming reaction test, part puzzle game. I played a lot of copycat games on my Amiga, but even then, as a whiny computer brat, I knew that Mario was better. Even when my cousins got a MegaDrive and Sonic, I knew – deep in my heart – that Mario was better. It's a deep game, an endlessly replayable game, a supremely fair game despite its difficulty. I think it’s hard to overstate just how good, or how influential, Mario was. 

Project Gotham Racing (Xbox, 2001): I tried hard to pick a different platform for every game in this list, but I couldn’t exclude PGR. This may be tied up with my biography a little bit, but my other half and I played this game to death. I never think of myself as a big racer fan, but every once in a while a title comes out that I just really, really get into – Jaguar XJ220 on the Amiga, Midtown Madness on PC, the Forza Horizon series nowadays – and PGR did that in spades. A gorgeous arcade racer, it was a great launch title to show off the sheer grunt of the Xbox; then, as now, the most powerful console on the market. It also offered a terrific four-player split-screen. But its Kudos feature – borrowed from semi-prequel Metropolis Street Racer – offered ways to win outside of sheer racing graft, awarding cool driving. I still love the original, and I kinda wish they’d bring back or reimagine its city-based driving for a future release or Forza spin-off. 

Lumines: Puzzle Fusion (PSP, 2004): okay, so this is a bit of a cheat as I've barely played the original PSP version, but Lumines is just phenomenal; the best moving-blocks-around game since Tetris, and probably the most influential one since then too (for the record, I've played it extensively on multiple other platforms). An excellent spin on a Tetris-a-like, its use of music and colour made it a beautiful, brilliant sensory experience. With Sony entering the handheld market, the PSP needed a USP, something vibrant and cool that suited a portable experience, and Lumines provided it in spades; also its funky visuals and music was a good fit for Sony’s brand.  

Well, that was fun, and a lot harder than I expected. If you’re enjoying a new console this Christmas, then hopefully you’ll have fun with one of the new launch titles too – even if I doubt any (apart from maybe Astro) would trouble a list like this in the future (although I do think The Falconeer looks all kinds of cool). 

[fictionstuff]

Hyrule Warriors

Points: 2.75 [2,78125]

Status: no guide used, almost completed (missing one ganon battle) in about 60 hours

This game feels like… a fill-in for Breath of the Wild 2 which is still in the makings. It also hardly gives me the feeling the first Hyrule Warrior gave me. I actually really adored that title. While adapting a prequel to BotW was a nice idea, anything besides the main story made me incredibly tired of the entire game. There are way too many unnecessary battles with horrendous conditions, that make you try again and again just to tire you out. I only managed to finish it after taking quite a big break from playing. Nonetheless I absolutely expected more despite knowing it is nothing more than a Dynasty Warriors-esque game.

Design/Artwork - 3/5

It would be a lie to say that it wasn’t gorgeous upon just looking at it, but since it’s mostly relying on the absolute same textures/designs/artworks as BotW it brings about absolutely no improvement. So while it’s breathtakingly gorgeous (style wise) it doesn’t run nearly as smoothly as BotW and enemy designs are few and not even halfway as gorgeous as they could have been.

Different outfits for all fighters also exist, but sadly mostly just apply to Link. The game could have used different outfits for every character, since the game has quite a few. Rather than boosting Link, I would have appreciated more outfits for my favorite characters like Mipha and Impa.

Story/Gameplay - 2/5

We could praise BotW for the lore created and we can also easily see how much love went into the details of the characters, their skill sets, the matching fighting animations and is just generally a love declaration to BotW.

There’s hardly anything to say about the combat system, because it just revolves around hitting and mashing buttons, defeating as many monsters as quickly as possible. Besides using the different skill sets of your many many characters, there’s really nothing noteworthy going on. Mayhaps it would be interesting to mention that you can also use the divine beasts in quite a few battles. I wasn’t such a big fan of the controls (especially for the divine bird) but having them included was a nice change in pace.

It is still important to mention that it’s not just entirely about fighting though. In battles you can also search and collect Koroks, you can use some paragliding here and there (although there are few spots and it’s not even useful for fighting) while also using the sheikah stones powers (Zelda’s skillset is truly interesting).

Nintendo used the source material in brilliant and creative ways, which still impresses me even months after I’ve finished the game. Hyrule Warriors delivers new knowledge about the champions when they were still alive, about their past, about Zelda’s challenge (or maybe we should call it struggle), about Link starting out as nothing more than a mere soldier rather than awakening a million years later to be the hero to save the world but also about Impa and her close relationship to Zelda, about Mipha and her love for Sidon and many more. I do adore those scenes, the love put into them and the extra lore, although the game itself somehow creates something like a parallel story line to the BotW we know.

The main spotlight goes to a little Guardian, who guides us around the happenings as the dark forces reawaken Ganondorf. In some twisty and mysterious way he goes from the future to the past and informs our group of heroes about the upcoming dangers. The story progression is quite quick: you firstly meet the champions, you learn to control the beasts, meet the evil yiga tribe and the main servant of Ganondorf, fight to destroy the calamity while following Zelda’s struggle to awaken the power inside of her.

Yet, all that does not inspire me to pick up the game once more as I really thought the many many battles felt absolutely the same and only tired me out mentally as well as physically. Thinking about the story once more I might have even preferred an ending, that would have let up to the BotW we all know. Having only happy endings feels a bit weird to me, because this could have been a game changer.

Enjoyment - 2.5/5

[silverskulltula]

if you're still taking numbers for ye zelda questionnaire - 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, 15?

1. Top 3 incarnations of Link?

Breath of the Wild

Twilight Princess

Wind Waker

Keep in mind that each of these so are fucking close to each other that the list could easily be interchangeable. Breath of the Wild speaks for itself - there’s no sort of flowery wordsmithery that I can conjure that would be worthy of Link’s portrayal in that game, so in essence - it’s gud.

I covered Twilight Princess a bit in the last ask! I love my ranch-hand, pumpkin-eating, wholesome-big-brother Link to the death.

I considered putting OoT for third but honestly? Wind Waker deserves it more. For all the shit Wind Waker got on release it should be commended for taking the series in all sorts of new directions. Link in WW is a child in way over his head. All he wants to do is to go back to Outset Isle and wear his lobster shirt and hang out with his grandma. But when given a responsibility way past his years, his acceptance of the task is both unwavering and effortless. Link is a child, which means that his mind is the purest it’ll ever be, and that naivety is his strength. He stands against Ganondorf - old, broken, and jaded, but still consumed with a lust for power. Link shows him that youthful optimism is not something fragile and fleeting to be lost in the face of the world’s cruelty. It’s an unstoppable force for good, and no matter the opposition, it will always prevail. One thing that I really like about Wind Waker and its sequels is that the games focus on change. There’s the obvious change from Hyrule into the Great Sea. There’s the change of the Zora into the Rito, the Kokiri into the Koroks, and so on. They all feature change as a catalyst for moving forward. Moving forward into uncharted waters to establish new kingdoms. Moving forward technologically to create new machines and improve people’s lives. Moving forward sociologically and politically by expanding the government (even if the Chancellor turned out to be a demon but ANYWAY). The WW-PH-ST trilogy shows that progress is propelled by youthful optimism, and that’s a message that I will defend to the fucking death. 

ANYWAY.

3. Favourite and least favourite companion?

CIN TOOK MIDNA AWAY FROM ME IN THE LAST ASK BUT THEY AREN’T HERE TO TAKE HER AWAY NOW AHA SO yea Midna is my Big Favorite. The evolution of her relationship with Link is enough to bring me to tears. Anything less of a companion would’ve cheapened TP as a whole.

It’s predictable, but my least favorite would have to be Fi. I appreciate that the Master Sword itself is given some depth and characterization but Nintendo definitely failed in their execution of that entire game. Navi was annoying but endearing, and Link’s journey to find her again in MM is genuinely heartbreaking. Fi was exhausting to listen to and IMO the game did nothing to create attachment to her. The only thing I’ll give Skyward Sword is that some of its bosses were pretty killer, but that’s about it.

5. was covered in Cin’s ask!

8. Top 3 villains?

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Princess Hilda (DON’T CRY TO ME IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW - IF YOU’RE READING THIS YOU SHOULD BE EXPECTING SPOILES GDI)

Skull Kid

WW Ganondorf was a very welcome expansion on the shallow, evil-for-evil’s-sake Ganondorf from OoT. It made sense that Ganondorf, born as a mortal and with his own life experiences, would harbor his own resentment of Hyrule besides his main goal of claiming the Triforce. You can feel sympathy for a man whose entire life has been haunted by death and suffering, even if he tragically became the embodiment of those very things in his quest to rise above them. I’m not saying that Ganondorf didn’t deserve his fate - just that (demonic cycle of reincarnation set aside) at one point there was a voice inside him that wanted to make things better for himself and his people, and that understandable want was tragically silenced by the evil desires of Demise’s reincarnated soul. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT GANONDORF, OK.

Believe it or not I wasn’t spoiled on the end of ALBW and it made it all the better, so I’m genuinely sorry if my answer gave away the twist for you. I suppose that Hilda IS the realization of what would happen if Ganondorf was driven to evil by a desire to help his people instead of his own selfish pursuit of power. Hilda commits evil in the pursuit of good (saving her world and her people), and that’s enormously refreshing in a series plagued by absolute evil just for evil’s sake. Zelda and Link’s unanimous wish to restore Lorule’s Triforce is yet another moment in The Legend of Zelda series that will bring me to tears.

And Skull Kid. Man, I guess that all of my favorite villains have tragedy in common. Skull Kid, a puppeteer turned puppet, who is forgiven in the end by yet another young hero suffering responsibility and pain beyond his years. Again - the children prevail over evil, a core message of TLoZ that I adore.

11. Favourite Ganon/Ganondorf design?

My favorite characterization of Ganondorf is Wind Waker, but in terms of literal chronological progression I immensely love the change from Ocarina of Time Ganondorf to Twilight Princess Ganondorf. Debatable timeline fuckery aside, I was stunned once I realized that the Ganondorf in TP was THE Ganondorf from OoT and I was facing this fucker yet again. His characterization wasn’t as deep as WW but his development was apparent in his tactics. He failed before by directly attacking Hyrule himself, so now he’s utilizing the fanatical proxy that is Zant in order to utilize the might of the usurped Twilight Realm in his stead. Ganondorf is more calculating and cautious than his OoT incarnation, but his boss fights show that he’s still every bit as ferocious. And I find this older DADONDORF hot and I want him to beat me to a pulp and call me pathetic ok

15. Top 3 dungeons? 

Thieve’s Hideout (ALBW)

Snowpeak Ruins (TP)

Sandship (SS)

Thieve’s Hideout is a personal favorite (and that extends to the Thieve’s Town in ALTTP as well). Overall ALBW was excellent at shaking up the traditional Zelda formula and it did that in Thieve’s Hideout by giving you an NPC companion. She was something between an escort quest and a movable assistant who provided really sassy commentary throughout the dungeon. She added a lot of flavor to what could’ve been a cut and dry dungeon and I appreciate that Nintendo was able to think outside of the box.

Snowpeak Ruins is another odd dungeon in that it’s not actually a dungeon. The derelict mansion was a visually interesting setting for a dungeon and the final boss was an even further subversion of the typical formula. The whole dungeon was a welcome change of pace and it’s one of my favorite parts of TP.

Holy fuck, I have something nice to say about Skyward Sword???? For better or worse, Nintendo attempted to establish an origin for Zelda’s lore in Skyward Sword, and part of that lore is that an incredibly technologically advanced civilization predated the Hylians (expanded upon in a much more interesting way in BOTW, but it technically had the idea first). They showed this by allowing you to shift specific areas back in time by activating Timeshift Stones (which were light blue… like a certain Ocarina… that allows you to travel through time… a little detail that I appreciate). One of these stones encompassed an entire pirate ship that sailed on the desert by timeshifting the desert immediately around it back into water. I haven’t played Skyward Sword in years, but I remember having a lot of fun with the robotic pirate swordfighting duel along the bowsprit. And of course, the end boss was a goddamn SEA MONSTER THAT TORE APART THE SHIP PIECE BY PIECE, SO THAT WAS FUN. Again, for all of Skyward Sword’s failings, some of the dungeons were fucking awesome.

[doggodysk-blog]

I seriously underrated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

**Some minor spoilers contained in this review**

I won’t beat around the bush, BOTW isn’t just the best game I’ve played this year, it’s the best game I’ve played in a long, long time. Maybe ever. This is coming from someone who was skeptical of an open-world Zelda game, as Ocarina of Time was my favorite Zelda game before this, I really enjoyed the traditional dungeon and progression.

I don’t say “potentially the best game I’ve ever played” lightly. I went into this game critically, looking for things it didn’t do well. And, of course, there are some things it doesn’t do quite as well as others. However, overall, the game is a true masterpiece and a testament to everything Nintendo’s creative minds are capable of. I truly think that nearly everything implemented in this game is implemented nearly perfectly.

The Not So Good

This is all I can think of for negatives. While this seems like a long list, a lot of critical thinking about the game went into this, and, for the most part, these are all very minor. I cannot stress this enough, these negatives DO NOT even come close to detracting from the overall experience of the game. I am only listing these to try to be as objective and honest as I can, as I believe calling it a “perfect” game would be disingenuous.

Graphics and Art

The game can drop in FPS pretty significantly, particularly when there are a lot of particles or in large fights.

Some character models aren’t very visually appealing. Compared to the beauty of the world, character models are somewhat lackluster, particularly their faces.

Enemies

Enemy difficulty can be a little low. The first time or two, Major Tests of Strength or Hinoxes or Lynels were tricky. However, after those times, I never really struggled to fight them and win. I’m sure my thoughts on this will change once I start my Master playthrough.

There isn’t an enormous amount of enemy variations.

Puzzles

Some puzzles can be a bit finicky, especially motion control puzzles. Usually it’s not too bad and just requires a few tries, but it can be bothersome at times.

While they were fun and well designed, the Divine Beasts really didn’t take much time to get through compared to the rest of the game. I would have liked to see them take a tad bit longer.

Considering how there is no way (that I know of) to locate Korok Seed puzzles via the map/Shiekah Locator, it can be somewhat tedious to expand your inventory. Perhaps it would be better if you needed an extra seed every two upgrades instead of one, or implement a way to find the seeds.

*Further reading has shown that this problem is solved by one of the DLC’s which I have not read yet.

Weapons and Items

While the weapon durability system is a lot better than I expected it to be, and I actually think the system as a whole adds to the game, I think weapons should all have a bit more durability.

Special arrows are a bit expensive, and hard to find from chests and enemy bases. I would like to see them show up in chests a bit more often, especially considering the amount of basic swords and bows I find. This affected me more than it may affect other people, because I have been going for a stealth-archer style character.

Mechanics and Systems

Link is weirdly bad at swimming, considering how good he is at climbing. There have been times where I was feet from shore and drowned. This can be pretty frustrating.

The Shrine locator is a bit noisy.

In some areas, it rains just a tad bit too much.

Personal Complaints

This is a personal preference and not objective nor does it really detract from the game, but I don’t like the fact that there is voice acting. I prefer Zelda games to only have the unintelligible noise when you interact with someone and background music.

This is a complaint of mine personally but also a testament to the scope of the game: there’s a bit too much to do. I’m a completionist and really like to complete games I play 100%, especially if they are games I really enjoy. There is just so much. The most tedious is the astounding 700 Korok seeds. I plan on completing everything but the Korok seeds, but the fact that there are so many of them is a bit annoying to me as a completionist.

The Good

As I’ve already said, this game is astounding. One could write a book about how incredible the game design of BoTW is. It’s simultaneously intricate yet simple, easy yet with an infinite skill ceiling. This game will be studied by developers for years to come.

The World of BoTW

The world is gorgeous, and huge. Everywhere I go, I am struck by the beauty and the atmosphere. Every ridge I climb up, I come across a beautiful landscape view. I personally don’t enjoy exploring open-world games that much in general, but BOTW has completely changed that. Everywhere I explore is fun and exciting.

Continuing off of the last point in the last paragraph, the world is dense. I’m very rarely bored while roaming through the world. Whether it’s needing to go quickly so that my Fire Resistance Potion doesn’t wear off, needing to stealthily navigate a field to avoid Guardians, coming across a large Bokoblin camp, seeing old chests hidden in lakes, finding interesting NPC’s and doing missions for them, or simply coming across shrines and towers, there is always something to do.

The world is fully open, but you’re never lost. In a lot of open-world games, I find myself going in a direction where I shouldn’t be and either be turned back because I shouldn’t go that way or getting lost. In BoTW, they deter exploration into later areas by putting you up against enemies that are difficult. You could push your way through, but it will be challenging, and you are usually naturally and intuitively led on a path of enemies that of an appropriate difficulty. Before going into the game, I felt I would feel overloaded with options, but I usually am able to intuitively do what seems right to me. This fully open-world also makes the game excellent for speed running, as you are only limited by how good you are.

The Beauty in the Details

The Towns and Villages are all thought out with incredible amounts of detail. They each have distinct cultures and histories that are reflected through the architecture, lifestyle, and personalities of the NPC’s. Whether it’s a laid-back beach village or a prosperous, modern town that was mostly unaffected by the Calamity, each town and village is fun and engaging to explore.

Speaking of NPC’s, they’re very well-written. Even basic NPC’s in towns and on paths all have personality quirks that make them entertaining to talk to. BoTW has perhaps the most well-written NPC’s in any game I’ve played. Every one has a witty anecdote or hints at a treasure or shrine.

The world is full of small bits of history that paint a large picture of the history of the world of Hyrule. Each book you read or slate you find tells a story, and when you put them together, you get a fully fleshed out history of not just Hyrule, but each area and each Village.

Puzzles and Quests

The quests are abundant and fun. There are few “filler” quests that I have come across, almost all of them are either genuinely fun or very short. My favorite of these quests are Shrine quests, which offer puzzles in the forms of riddles. These are very creative and often times quite tricky to decipher.

The puzzle system is well-thought and a refreshing shift from traditional puzzles. The tutorial section does a good job of introducing the basic concepts of the Sheikah Slate’s abilities as well as showing that puzzles often have more to them than meets the eye. The player quickly learns that most puzzles have a relatively basic main path following a certain theme, and side paths which offer secret rewards for taking the themes learned from the main puzzle, and making them more complex.

Mechanics and Systems

The stealth system is, surprisingly, extremely well done. I went into the game knowing stealth was a possibility, but thinking it wouldn’t be a fully-fleshed system. Regardless of that, I knew I wanted to attempt a stealth playthrough, and wow. After honing my skills for the first few hours of the game, such as landing headshots, target selection, and use of my environment, I could easily clear most camps without being detected with some thought. As someone who loves stealth games, I really appreciate this system.

Outside of perhaps Dark Souls, the sword fighting system is the best of any game I’ve played. It does an excellent job of being interactive, rewarding good timing, giving you options, and allowing for personal skill progression. At first, I was slightly concerned that the controls weren’t very intuitive and that I would struggle to implement it in fights, however, with just minutes of practice, I was able to get a solid grasp of it. The sword combat system is an excellent example of “Easy to Learn, Hard to Master.”

The physics and weather systems make the world feel alive. I haven’t played a game that has put this much attention to science details. The biology of the animals matches their terrain. Things that you think should work, work. If you have a metal weapon out in a thunderstorm, you’ll get struck by lightning. Hot air will rise, so if you set something on fire, you are able to use that to your advantage. Rain makes things slippery, but usually not impassable (if you have enough stamina).

Additional Aspects

There are a lot of fun things to do on the side of the game, such as experimenting with cooking and potions, or filling out your Hyrule Compendium. There is always something to keep you from getting bored.

I’m a sucker for games with multiple playstyles, and the armor system in the game does that very well. For instance, I played mostly with the stealth armor, but you could also use armor that helps you climb better, swim faster, or be protected from certain elements. Another thing the armor system does very well is give you collecting options. You can buy pieces of armor from stores around the land, or you can earn them from various missions.

While the game doesn’t require exploration, it encourages it in a very natural way. If you want to upgrade your health or stamina, or want to get more inventory, or want better food and potions, or want more powerful weapons, then you’ll have to explore. None of these are required to finish the game whatsoever, but are accessible and fun to look for. I believe that the natural and flawless way that they encourage you to explore the beautiful open world they have created is the pinnacle of all of the excellent game design that BoTW exhibits, and future open-world games will look to BoTW for inspiration for how to create their own worlds.

Summary

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best thing the gaming community has scene in quite some time. It marks a positive shift not only for the Legend of Zelda franchise, but for open-world games as a whole. Despite its few minor flaws, this game is a masterpiece from the largest of scales down to the tiniest of details.

[hyah-through-hyrule]

Spoiler free review of BOTW

I recently finished BotW and I’m excited to share my thoughts in a non-spoiler and honest fashion. (Switch version)

Technical aspects- I’ll admit I’m not well versed with technological terms when it comes to gaming, so if something I write doesn’t make sense it’s because I’m stupid. The fps are much better in undocked mode than in docked mode, which is how i personally like to play it because i love the portability. Feel like playing on the couch laying down? No problem. Playing while in bed under several blankets? Cool! Long boring bus ride? Not anymore! The being said, the fps seems to dip slightly when in towns or in heavily forested areas with a lot of foliage. It dips for a couple seconds, but they’re infrequent enough that it really doesn’t hinder gameplay. 

Now onto graphics. I must admit that I’m a bit biased here because I will always prefer stylized graphics over realism in any game. To me, the style reminds me of a mixture between Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, and I really love it. I’d be extremely pleased if they kept this type of cel shading in future Zelda installments. I often found myself taking a break to admire the scenery, weather it be a sunset, lightning storm, or some body of water. This version of Hyrule truly is a beautiful world.

Hyrule- The love that the developers put in this world is astounding and apparent. No two places in this world are the same. Typically with large open world games such as this, you’ll find places that are carbon copies. For example, cave complexes or ways that trees are organized will be identical in many other games. Not this one, every inch of this world is unique. Even what you get from cutting grass can give you different ingredient drops depending on where you are in the world.

Animals- Mad respect to the people who were in charge of designing and programming the wildlife. Sometimes I’ll watch animals from afar to see what they do. Birds will bathe themselves in dust, other herbivores can be seen grazing. Some animals can harm you while others choose to flee if you get too close. Little details like that really make the world seem more alive and dynamic.

Enemies and difficulty- If you’re the kind of gamer who plays games like Dark Souls for breakfast, then botw likely wasn’t too difficult. Most gamers (me) don’t play hard games like that for breakfast, so keep in mind the difficulty is being reviewed by a noob who needs to git gud. Botw is challenging at first, especially for those of us who are getting used to playing on a new console. Even the lowliest of the enemies can instantly kill you if you aren’t paying attention. A detail that I personally like is that the enemies will become tougher the more you progress, just to keep you on your toes. Once you learn how to deal with enemies depending on what weapons they’re using, you’ll have no problem fighting them more efficiently, dying less, and in general feeling rather cool. Now here’s a bit of a personal gripe; enemy diversity. There are lots of different enemies (some animals included too as they’ll actively hunt you), and they can wield a variety of weapons. Despite that, I wish there were more enemy types instead of having base enemies recolored. The variety felt a tad bit lacking in that regard, but it was neat that they could fight with different weapons. (There’s still a certain type of enemy that I still wont mess with even 150+ hours later.)

Npcs- Wow, I think this game really outdid itself with the npcs. In most open world games, the models and/or dialogue for npcs will be repeated. Not here. Some base models were reused occasionally, but they were tweaked so no one looked exactly the same. However, every single npc in this world has unique dialogue. I highly recommend you talk to everyone, as it can often lead to a sidequest, worldbuilding trivia, or sometimes it’s just funny dialogue. (My personal favorite is the ‘master torch’ wielder). I also greatly appreciated the fact that every npc Hylian wasn’t simply a white skinny guy. No, there’s npcs of all sizes, lots of women, and lots of different shades of brown. The Zora and Rito were different colors and heights. The Gerudo did have a few npcs who I could tell were reused assets, which the developers cleverly hid by making their skin tone lighter and their hair shorter/colored differently. The Gorons were the least diverse race in my opinion, but they were changed enough that it wasn’t glaringly obvious. The dedication to make everyone an individual is outstanding and it helps make the world all the more alive. Seriously though, I’m super impressed that not any of dialogue was reused anywhere.

Horses- I was going to post this with animals but decided to have it as a separate topic. I’m in love with the horse mechanic. You can go catch any horse you like, whether you want it for aesthetics or stats. You don’t need to steer your horse at all as it will follow the path all on its own and it won’t run into trees if you’re not controlling it. (Just make sure your bond is all the way up, which is easy to do via petting and feeding apples. Even though mine are maxed bonded, I still pet them and feed them because they’re all good boys and the prompt to do it is there, so why not?). The horse riding in this game is one of the smoothest ones I’ve experienced in any game (including games that feature non horse mounts too).

Dungeons and shrines- Botw broke a lot of Zelda conventions, and the dungeons are no exception. They were fun to explore and discover, though I do wish some of them were longer. I do hope they keep this non-linear system of finding shrines/dungeons out in the wild, but it would be nice if they could incorporate some longer and organic dungeons alongside the shrines. A mixture of the two would create a phenomenal experience.

Story- It’s no secret that in order to create a massive and dynamic world, the story had to take a few hits. I loved the memory system, it was clever and unique. Like with most Zelda games, you have to find the lore yourself by talking to npcs or finding writings via journals and monuments. Still, there’s a lot of stuff that makes me wonder ‘wow this is cool but what’s the story behind it?’ I do like having to find story things on my own rather than it being spelled out to me. There’s a lot of unanswered questions and loose ends. Perhaps the DLC will expand more on this. Despite the story being a bit lacking this time around, it didn’t make the game less enjoyable. There were still plenty of emotional moments, and I’ll admit I teared up in some spots. (Not including when I cried when first coming out of the shrine of restoration, that didn’t have to do with story, only with the fact i was so excited to play after five long years of waiting).

Towns- There’s not much for me to say about the towns (other than the fps thing mentioned earlier). The music that plays in them is wonderful and there’s lots of interesting npcs and sidequests to follow. One weird thing is there is one town you could theoretically never find as it’s not part of the main quest. I think more was intended for it, but there wasn’t enough time to finish it/ something changed when creating the story. Perhaps something will be added to it with dlc, or it’s simply a small village to find at you’re own leisure.

Music- Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge sucker when it comes to soundtracks, which is why I’ve saved the best for last. You’ll hear a lot of mixed reviews from people about the music. I personally am in love with it, I’m even listening to the soundtrack now as I’m writing this review. The ambiance of the music sets the pace when you’re out exploring. The shrines have different music depending on what type of shrine it is. Battle shrines are the easiest to distinguish. A shrine with a puzzle involved will be in major key, while a shrine with no puzzle is in minor. It’s a subtle difference that most people won’t catch, but it’s there. The music outside of shrines also varies, though I haven’t quite figured it out yet. I believe that it depends on if the shrine was hidden or not, but I don’t have solid proof for that. The guardian theme always startles me, even when I’m actively seeking them out for loot. It’s one of my favorite songs, but it’s a shame it doesn’t last long because you’re either fleeing or trying to kill it fast before it kills you. I could go on forever about the music, but I should wrap this up soon. The final dungeon and battle is in my opinion a bunch of masterpieces, but you’ll have you’ll have to discover that on your own. Botw outdid itself with it’s music, and I do hope it is appreciated more once people get used not having music that plays constantly while playing.

Overall, this is the most fun I’ve ever had playing a game. It’s not without it’s flaws of course, but it was an enjoyable experience and I look forward to the dlc and future installments in the series.      

[nprplays]

Nintendo Switch and Legend of Zelda Road Trip Impressions: Part 1

By Stephan Bisaha

Washington, D.C. 7:05 a.m. – Back in 2006, I was waiting in line for the Nintendo Wii. Actually, it was my third time doing so; the first two failed due to my not arriving early enough to receive any of the limited supply. 

Over a decade later, I was waiting in line again for a Nintendo console. But instead of arriving hours before the store opened with more than a dozen people in front of me, there was only one other person an hour before the Walmart opened.

(Okay, I did wake up a 3:30 a.m., went outside, saw no one was waiting yet and then went back in. The perks of living above a Walmart.) 

When the doors did open at 6 a.m., the six of us that were waiting went inside to purchase our Nintendo Switch’s with little fanfare. There were about ten left and I didn’t see anyone coming in on my way out.

This isn’t all that shocking. The Wii was a phenomenon that had my father – whose previous interest in games extended to how beautiful he thought the beaches of Super Mario Sunshine looked – flailing his arms to roll a virtual bowling ball. The Switch was never going to be that, at least not at launch. The system is essentially releasing in beta, lacking basic functionality like an internet browser or even a Netflix app. 

But, just like in 2006, the main reason I woke up early to pick up a Nintendo console was for a new Zelda game, this one titled The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. 

Of course, just as Zelda has grown up – and not in the moody, bleak Twilight Princess version of the term – over the past decade, so have I. In a couple of hours I was going to drive from D.C. to Birmingham, Alabama to report with WBHM for three months as part of my fellowship with NPR.

And while I may not have the same number of hours to toss at a new Nintendo console, the Switch has come at a perfect time. Nintendo touts the Switch as a portable console. It’s a tablet with two controllers stuck to its side and a dock to play on a TV screen. A two-day road trip to Alabama gives me an excellent opportunity to see how well the Switch functions on the go.

The plan is, after a few more hours of sleep, I’m going to start the drive down with my packed car. Every few hours, I’m going to find some place to rest, either to eat or as a simple break from the road, and start playing with the Switch. 

How well does Nintendo’s new baby function away from its dock? Is Zelda really as good as the reviews are saying? Will I actually make it to Alabama on time or get stuck in Tennessee, unable to drag myself away from a new Zelda adventure? Let’s find out.

Troutville, Virginia 2:45 p.m. – The original plan was to stop and earlier in my travels to get some play time and rest in, but the wide-open blue sky and green hills covered in silhouetted cows motivated me to put in some extra hours before stopping at a rest area on 81 South. It’s certainly been a much nicer drive than I’m used to from my New Jersey upbringing.

After parking and stretching my legs, I slid beneath a tree and started to play, at least until I remembered it is still winter and the cold drove me back to my car and I continued there.

I did start up the Switch before I left D.C., which worked out as it allowed me to download two quick updates for the system and for Breath of the Wild. Everything was packed up already so I didn’t have a TV to dock the Switch to so I’ve only used it in handheld mode so far. The main menu really is bare bones, but it does have a simple elegancy to it. The menus are intuitive and easy to navigate and there’s little clutter.

When I returned to the Switch at the rest stop, I found it had already built up a fair amount of dust. While there were some small snow flurries at the beginning of my trip, the bright Virginia sun was causing significant glare. It sapped a lot of the weight out of BOTW’s ominous and mysterious opening. I twisted in my car to avoid direct sunlight on the screen.

To add to my awkward positioning, I’m having trouble getting comfortable holding the system. It’s light enough that my hands aren’t getting tired, but the Joy-Cons strapped to the device’s sides are taking some getting used to. The analog sticks feel a lot better than the 3DS’s circle pad, but a step below what we’re used to from modern consoles.

After playing BOTW for about 45 minutes, I’m ready to get back to the road. It’s been an enjoyable opening and it really does away with Nintendo’s handholding habit. I’ve died twice already, which is probably more than my last play through of Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker. I think I can drive for a few more hours before the next stop.

Christiansburg, Virginia 3:50 p.m. – Never mind. The next rest stop I saw I took, about 50 miles down the road. My first few bad guy encounters in Zelda had me itching for more combat.

When discussing handheld games, it’s often brought up that they should be structured for quick play sessions. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon on the 3DS did this by, much to my dismay, breaking gameplay into individual missions. The idea is a gamer is more likely to have shorter burst of play than a when playing on a console.

The problem with that approach is missions are often set lengths – often getting longer as the game progresses – and it’s rare for a gamer’s limited handheld time to lineup perfectly with a mission.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild solves this by providing an open world full of quick challenges. Only have five minutes? That’s just enough time to take down this enemy camp. Have some more time? Here’s a small set of mysterious ruins to explore. 

I was able to stop for about twenty minutes and have a satisfying time, as well as granted in game rewards for those tasks so I left with at least a small sense of accomplishment. 

Atkins, Virginia 5:25 p.m. – I’ve stopped at a rest area just shy of Tennessee. The goal at this point is to make it to Knoxville and find a hotel there. 

Now that the sun has dipped further down and not directly hitting my screen, the glare is no longer an issue. And wow, this is a gorgeous game on a gorgeous screen. Switching from watching a YouTube video on a smartphone to a game on the 3DS was always jarring because of how much worse the handheld’s screen is. But the Switch’s screen, while not 1080p, feels like a huge step up.

I’m getting more comfortable with the controller, but I am getting some pain in my right thumb when using the analog stick. Supporting the system while my thumb stretches down over a decent amount of time is difficult.

Oh, and as for the battery, I’ve been cheating and using a USB-C car charger so there’s been no real risk there. 

Back to Zelda, I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying exploring this world. I had no interest in playing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim because of how much Fallout 3 failed to grasp my attention. 

I tend to prefer more linear games. But I think the major difference for Zelda is the level of care and density. When I played Grand Theft Auto IV, I remember wondering what it would be like for every building to have an interior to explore. So much of the city was just skyscraper-shaped boxes with no way inside.

Zelda has the advantage of not needing to replicate New York City, but I’m never walking for more than a few seconds in any direction without stumbling upon a new danger or discovery. Despite the size of the opening area, every square foot feels like it was given careful consideration. I’ve logged about two hours of game time and I just stopped playing having finally bothered to address the game’s first objective.

But that will have to wait until Tennessee.  I don’t want to miss the sunset my westbound trip is preparing for me. 

Wooddale, Tennessee 10:15 p.m. – I’ve decided to stop just outside of Knoxville. The jump between staring at a screen and the road – even if both have been beautiful in their own distinct ways – has my eyes weary. I pull into a Holiday Inn Express and drag my bags to my room. After a quick food trip, I connect the Switch’s dock to my hotel’s TV and set the tablet inside.

I thought Zelda looked amazing before – playing it on a TV makes the graphics really sing. It’s hard to take in all the detail on Switch’s native screen, which is to be expected given its size. But seeing it expanded on the screen provides a much better opportunity to soak in the graphics.

I connected the Joy-Cons to the grip that came with the system. A normal console controller is still preferable, but this is more comfortable than having the Joy-Cons attached to the system. I’ll try playing with the Joy-Cons unattached from the grips tomorrow to see how that compares.

I have another day of traveling tomorrow, but so far I’ve been impressed with the Switch. As unnecessary as a portable console may sound, it motivated me to get to each new rest area and to get back to the game. And to have that seamlessly transfer to a TV is an experience still unique, and greatly appreciated, in gaming today.